Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra

2006: Bachelor's Degree in Geology at Università degli Studi di Roma "la Sapienza" 
2009: Master Degree in Geology and Catography at Università degli Studi di Roma "la Sapienza"
2014: PhD in Earth Science with emphasis in Vertebrate Paleontology and phylogeny at Sapienza, Università di Roma 
2012: winner of the scholarship abroad, banned by Sapienza, Università di Roma, conducted at the Field Museum of Natural History of Chicago and at the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History of Norman (Ok)
2015-2017: post-doc as part of the international project “Early Evolution and Diversification of Synapsida” (Sofja Kovalevskaja-Project del German Federal Ministry of Education and Research; funded by the Alexander von Humboldt-Foundation) at the Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung, Invalidenstr 43, Berlin, Germany.
2018-2019: post-doc at the Evolutionary Studies Institute (ESI) University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg, South Africa, funded by DST/NRF Centre of Excellence for Palaeosciences (CoE in Palaeosciences).
2020 to date RTDA in Geo/01 at Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Sapienza Università di Roma.
From 2012 appointed ‘Affiliated Research Associate in Vertebrate Paleontology’ dal Sam Noble Museum of Natural History (Norman, Oklahoma).
From 2018 appointed Corresponding member of the Subcomission on Permian Stratigraphy, of the International Commission on Stratigraphy.
From 2018 appointed National Geographic Explorer (https://www.nationalgeographic.org/find-explorers/marco-romano).
From 2019 appointed Ordinary Member of International Commission on the History of Geological Sciences.
From 2020 councilor at the Consiglio Universitario Nazionale (CUN) as researcher representative ‘area 04 Scienze della Terra’.

Training 

• 2006: Bachelor's Degree in Geology 
• 2009: Master Degree in Geology and Cartography
• 2014 Bachelor's Degree in Geology at Università degli Studi di Roma "la Sapienza"

Professional experience

• 2015-2017 post-doc at the Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung, Berlin
• 2018-2019 post-doc at the Evolutionary Studies Institute (ESI) University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg, South Africa
• Form 2020 RTDA in Geo/01 at the Department of Earth Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome

Research Topics

1. Description and formalization of new taxa, taxonomic revision of groups on a phylogenetic basis and integrated multidisciplinary study of the ichnological evidence with the locomotor system in different Paleozoic and Mesozoic groups.
2. Investigation, in the macro-evolutionary context, of the relationship between the disparity (occupied morphospace) and the diversity (number of taxa) characterizing a specific clade during its evolutionary history.
3. Study of the differential depth of fossil footprints to reconstruct locomotion and biomechanical capabilities in both Paleozoic and Mesozoic tetrapods.
4. Analysis and description of new crucial sites with dinosaur footprints from the Mesozoic Apennine carbonate platforms and related geodynamic and palaeobiogegraphic implications for the Mediterranean region.
5. Analysis of sedimentological aspects, outcrop visualization, and description of vertebrate faunas of the Umbrian-Marchigiano-Sabine Apennines with paleoecological and paleoenvironmental reconstructions
6. History of Geology and Paleontology.

Study areas
Mediterranean area, Central Apennines, South Africa, North America, Russia, Western Europe

Awards and honors

From 2012 - Apponted ‘Affiliated Research Associate in Vertebrate Paleontology’ by the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History (Norman, Oklahoma).
2017 - Innovation Founds Award del Museum fur Naturkunde.
2018 – Awarded of the Sepkoski Grant by the Paleontological Society of America.
2018 - Awarded of the National Geographic Early Career Grant (EC-53477R-18)
2018 - Appointed National Geographic Explorer (https://www.nationalgeographic.org/find-explorers/marco-romano).

Institutional roles

• From 2020 councilor at the Consiglio Universitario Nazionale (CUN) as researcher representative ‘area 04 Scienze della Terra’. 

Membership Society and Associations

• From 2014 – Member of the Italian Geological Society (SGI).
• Dal 2014 – Member of the Geoitaliani Section the Italian Geological Society.
• Dal 2017 – Member of the Italian Paleontological Society (SPI).
• 2015-2017 – Member of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology.

Active Research Project 

• 2020 - Principal Investigator of the Ateneo Project titled “A multidisciplinary approach to the study of tetrapod footprints: the Gardetta Plateau (Briançonnais, Western Alps, Italy) and Sezze (Latium, Central Italy) case studies”. Project Leader: Marco Romano
• 2020 – Investigator of the project ‘Grandi Scavi Sapienza’ tited “Grotta Romanelli (Southern Italy, Apulia): a geo-archaeo-paleontological key site for the Mediterranean prehistory”, Project Leader: Prof. Raffaele Sardella.
• From 2019 - Principal Investigator of Programma Nazionale di Ricerca in Antartide - PNRA D.D. 1314 del 25/05/2018 PNRA18_00167 - A - Coordinator Marco Romano. Project title: “Discovering the first tetrapod footprints from the Early Triassic of Antarctica: a multidisciplinary approach”. Project Leader: Marco Romano
• From 2018 - Principal Investigator of National Geographic Early Career Grant (EC-53477R-18) with the project titled: “A multidisciplinary approach to a unique human ichnological record form the Grotta della Basura (Toirano, Savona, Italy)”

Editorial Activities
From 2014 - Reviewer of the scientific journals Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, Geological Society of America Books, Ichnos, Lethaia, PeerJ, Historical Biology, Paleontologia Electronica, Geogaceta, Bollettino Società Paleontologia Italiana, Journal of Mediterranean Earth Sciences, Rendiconti Online della Società Geologica Italiana, South African Journal of Science, Atti della Società Toscana di Scienze Naturali - Memorie - Serie A.
2015 - Guest Editor of the volume “In Guerra con le Aquile: Geologi e cartografi sui fronti alpini della Prima Guerra Mondiale” hosted by Rendiconti Online della Società Geologica Italiana.
2018 - Guest Editor of the special volume “PCP-basin settings in the fossil record: state of the art”, hosted by the Italian Journal of Geosciences.
2018 - Guest Editor of the volume “Tre secoli di geologia in Italia” hosted by Rendiconti Online della Società Geologica Italiana.
From 2019 - Editorial Board member of Journal of Mediterranean Earth Sciences
2020 - Guest Editor of the special volume: Romano M., Citton P. (Eds.), “Tetrapod Ichnology in Italy: the State of the Art”. Journal of Mediterranean Earth Sciences 12.
From 2020 - Topic Editor of the journal Life

• PALEONTOLOGY for students of the Bachelor's Degree in Natural Sciences, Department of Earth Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome 
• HISTORY OF GEOLOGY for students of the Bachelor's Degree in Geological Sciences, Department of Earth Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome

Papers
List of papers in Google Scholar

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Citations: 683; h-index 15 (from Scopus May 2021).
 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7629-3872
SCOPUS: https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?origin=resultslist&authorId=572...

Website of the Professor:
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/find-explorers/marco-romano   
https://www.cun.it/cun/consigliere/marco-romano/